It’s actually not ionizing the air. It’s spraying a conductive gel that the electricity rides to the prey. That’s why it’s important to hold it down to the ground to make sure it has good contact with the earth.
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Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Is there actually any biologic mechanism to conduct electricity at a high enough voltage and current that it can ionize air over a distance as large as that (looks like at least 1/2m)?
Looking around, electric eels can do 860V, which is well short from the 15kV needed to gap 0.5m of air at sea level.
I mean, we can always claim it was possible but lost, but then again we can also claim that for magic or animal teleportation.
Tire@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Uuh, nice - that sound like it would work.
IhaveCrabs111@lemmy.world 8 months ago
There’s no evidence that there’s not
MehBlah@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Is there actually any biologic mechanism to generat and conduct electricity at a high enough voltage and current that it can ionize air over a distance as large as that (looks like at least 1/2m) without damaging the actual animal doing it?
The force dude. Its pretty obvious the t-rex is a sith lord.
Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
T-Sidious Rex!
thebardingreen@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz 8 months ago
Darth Tyrannosaurus.
LwL@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Just out of pedantry: Water has terrible conductivity. Blood is less terrible though and in any case air is far worse than either, so point stands
Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Pure water is a terrible conductor, but water with dissolved ions is a pretty good conductor, and that’s mostly (maybe always, since things like Sodium an Potassium ions tend to be pretty important in various processes, though IANAB so maybe there are exceptions) the water inside living beings.
LwL@lemmy.world 8 months ago
More like an ok conductor, but yea that’s what I meant with the blood (and whatever other ways water exists in our body). Though even pure water is more conductive than air by orders or magnitude.
Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Well, once you ionize it air is a great conductor ;)
huf@hexbear.net 8 months ago
yes, but it’s extremely complicated and bulky. first, you have to have a naked ape. then that ape has to invent science and modern technology. then it has to build an electric grid, and then eventually this becomes possible…
Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Well, it’s not actually a “biological” mechanism, though by some definitions of the word one might call it a “natural” mechanism ;)
huf@hexbear.net 8 months ago
it’s just a new kind of biology
Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Or a new kind of Physics.
thebardingreen@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz 8 months ago
Midichlorians. The ability to cause an extinction level event is insignificant next to the power of the Force.